U.S. Army General Gus Perna last week told a group of Birmingham business and civic leaders that the Army needs their support and partnership “to ensure it remains the greatest, strongest, smartest and most professional all-volunteer force in the world,” per a spokesperson for the Army Materiel Command.

Perna, who is a four-star general in charge of the Materiel Command located at Alabama’s Redstone Arsenal, praised Birmingham’s business community and gave them a call to action.

“We want to build support for our veterans and our soldiers,” Perna said, according to the Redstone Rocket. “That is an easy task because this community embraces its veterans. This community leads the way. We want you to truly believe that you can trust us to be ready to do our job when called to do it, to be part of your community and to teach youth about service.”

Perna’s remarks came during a keynote speech to approximately 250 leaders at the Rotary Club of Birmingham on August 22. His presentation was part of “Meet Your Army” activities in the city, which included a visit with University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) President Ray Watts, a roundtable discussion with members of the influential Birmingham Business Alliance and an address to UAB ROTC cadets.

Perna stressed the importance of a strong bilateral relationship between Birmingham and the Army.

“We are here today to connect with this city and walk through our relationship,” Perna continued. “We want your trust and confidence in us. We are more than what you perceive. We are trained and ready for war, but we are also valuable citizens in your city.”

“Meet Your Army” is an outreach initiative that sends its leaders to communities nationwide in order to “educate, excite and inspire” the American public to support and sustain the Army with resources and through recruiting. Birmingham is one of just 14 cities the Army is focusing on this year.

Perna, in the Magic City, explained the profound importance of recruiting to maintaining the Army’s might.

“In today’s communities, only one percent of the population has served or is serving,” he outlined.

The four-star general continued, “This is significant. We must continue to message and partner with each other. We need countless professionals to maintain our all-volunteer force.”

Modern times, and the disconnect between civilian and military life, is making mutually beneficial relations tougher.

“[W]e’re losing touch. People don’t know who we are and why we exist,” Perna added. “We need to be partners to enable what you do every day, and to protect and honor our Constitution. We can only do that if we embrace each other, and that’s why venues like this are so important.”

Although Birmingham is the largest metropolitan area in Alabama, there is relatively little visible military presence in the city. Yet, the military, and the Army especially, is a dominant force in the Yellowhammer State, including major installations in Huntsville (Redstone Arsenal), Anniston (Anniston Army Depot), Enterprise (Fort Rucker) and Montgomery (Maxwell Air Force Base).

There are 13 Army Reserve units in the greater Birmingham area and about 20,000 active military in the state along with 17,000 Department of Defense civilians and a massive veteran population of over 300,000 Alabamians.

Perna asked Birmingham’s business and community leaders for help with “people resource,” – both with ensuring the state’s veterans are employed and recruiting young people into the nation’s armed forces.

“First, I want to ask you to hire veterans. That is huge for us,” he emphasized.

“Veterans have selflessly served our country, and the key is they did it honorably,” Perna continued. “They are of the best character, they have highly competitive skills, and they are committed and trustworthy. You can count on them to get the job done.”

Then, there is the importance of recruiting.

“Second, I ask for your help to continue to build capability by allowing access to recruiting Reserve and National Guard,” Perna said. “And, third, I ask for anything you can do to encourage young men and women to enlist in our military so we can keep the momentum of an all-volunteer service alive.”

The general explained that recruiters in Alabama are crucial to ensuring an increased end strength and, to be successful, they need robust community support.

The Army provides those who enlist or commission with education and training in fields that easily transfer to civilian life, including medicine, computer science, cyber technology and logistics.

“Opportunities for our young people are huge,” Perna advised. “The Army provides them with capabilities to either stay in the force or to come back home and assimilate into their local community.”

Perna was introduced at the Rotary by retired Major General, and Rotarian, Lee Price, whose 38 years of exemplary service included becoming the Army’s first female Program Executive Officer as the PEO for Command Control Communications-Tactical. She was also the first female in the Army Acquisition Corps nominated to general officer and first female selected for general officer while serving in a special operations unit.

“The Army must have the ability to be equal, and the ability to look past differences and ensure diversity. We have changed significantly in this light,” Perna highlighted. “It was leaders like Lee Price who led the way. Because of her physical and moral courage, she rose through the ranks.”

Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn